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Month: August 2016

Manchester RAG win ‘RAG of the Year’

Manchester RAG, the fundraising arm of University of Manchester’s Students’ Union, has won four awards at the National Student Fundraising Awards, including RAG of the Year.

The other awards collected on the night included ‘Rising RAG of the Year’, ‘RAG Team of the Year’, and ‘Best Campaign’ for the Time of the Month campaign, launched this February to collect and distribute sanitary products to homeless women in Manchester.

While the final total of last year’s fundraising is yet to be announced, it is known already that they rose far more than last year’s total of £220,000, with the total already over £415,000.

Manchester RAG, one of the oldest societies at the Union,  is run by students who as their website states are “bound together by the mutual desire to raise money for charity and make a difference in people’s lives”. The team raise money each year through student-led fundraising campaigns and help any student projects that ask for it, their most successful campaigns including Jailbreak, Lost, Beerfest and Bogle.

Megan Robertson last year’s chair spoke to The Mancunion about what these awards meant to the team: “Last year we didn’t win any awards and were placed in the back at the corner so we made it our mission as a team to go back this year and make a name for ourselves – and we definitely did that”.

Robertson added that she wanted to “personally thank Jo and Luke and all the SU staff that help us each and every day, every fantastic committee member and of course all the wonderful students and staff that fundraise for great causes every year”.

If you want to be involved in RAG this year you still have time to be on the committee. Roles include coordinating projects from climbing the Himalayas to a Brazil jungle trek. More information can be found here: http://bit.ly/2bDnhqH 

United Player Ratings: Manchester United vs Southampton

The Saints travelled to Old Trafford in unfortunate circumstances. Manchester United prepared to celebrate competitive home debuts for Mourinho, Bailly, Ibrahimović, Mkhitaryan and, let’s not forget, Paul Pogba. This, combined with being the first Friday night game of the season, meant that the atmosphere at Old Trafford was electric. Expectations have ramped up from Champions League qualification under Van Gaal to Premier League champions, and rightly so. Much was made of Mourinho’s home record in the build-up, with only nine home losses in his career, but after the debacle at Chelsea last season, the Portuguese manager had much to prove.

Mourinho took many by surprise by starting Pogba. In his press conference on Thursday, Mourinho stated that Pogba would play ‘some minutes’ against Southampton; he ended up playing all of them. The inclusion of Pogba overshadowed a few other interesting starting choices; the decision to maintain the Bailly-Blind partnership when Smalling had regained his fitness, the dropping of Herrera for Pogba and not Fellaini and the ongoing ‘love fest’ Mourinho is giving Mata over Mkhitaryan on the right-wing. While all questionable, they are all understandable decisions: Bailly and Blind have been excellent, Herrera’s adventurous nature may have left the defence too open to attacks and Mata played well last weekend. ‘If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’.

United started the game slow, happy to concede possession to Southampton who pressed high up the pitch and out-passed United in the opening 15 minutes. The style of football the Saints brought was Van Gaal-esque, although, unlike the Dutchman’s philosophy, Southampton actually carved open their opposition. The Old Trafford faithful, however, were noticeably louder than usual, as Mourinho had asked them to be, and sang the Reds back into the game. The Swedish hero, who cost United zero, has become talismanic in only three competitive games. Winning a fantastic header to open the scoring in the first half and tucking home a penalty in the second killed Southampton’s confidence, and United defended resolutely to close out the game and keep their first clean sheet of the campaign.

 

Player Ratings (10 = best, 1 = worst… like most ratings)

De Gea: 6

Virtually had nothing to do. Made one save, which does not really count as a save if it is a daisy-cutter at five mph. Not much else to say really…

 

Valencia: 7

Industrious as ever. Made Targett the busiest player on the pitch with his marauding runs down the touchline. The Ecuadorian looks like a different player under Mourinho, with his newfound confidence going forward and his brilliant defensive composure on the ball. Darmian may struggle to get back into the first team any time soon.

 

Bailly: 8

Another very impressive performance from the young defender. Domineering in the air and very good positioning to cut out any crosses which made it past the fullbacks. Was uncharacteristically pushed off the ball by Shane Long in the 77th minute but made up for it with his grit and determination.

 

Blind: 6

A quiet night for the Dutchman but not in a good sense. Was caught flat-footed early on by clever movement from Tadić and Redmond but was not punished for it. Passed the ball out of defence calmly but probably did not do enough to keep his spot from Smalling who is edging closer to match fitness after an injury setback.

 

Shaw: 7

Much more active than against Bournemouth last weekend, getting up into the opposition’s final third and combining with Pogba and Martial well. Won a very debatable penalty with a surge into the box. Defended diligently and dealt surprisingly well with long balls, winning all of his aerial battles.

 

Fellaini: 8

I am finding it seriously hard to believe that blonde Fellaini is the same Fellaini who has been playing for United over the last three seasons. He dominated the midfield defensively, winning four aerials and two tackles, which gave license for Pogba to push higher up the pitch. Passed the ball calmly and another no show for the infamous Belgian’s elbows. Like Valencia, Fellaini looks like his confidence has been reinstalled by Mourinho and the United fans may need to rethink their cynicism.

 

Pogba: 8

The Frenchman’s second Old Trafford debut is not one United fans will forget. After a rocky first 15 minutes, Pogba grew into the game immeasurably. By the 42nd minute, he was storming past midfielders and dinking beautiful passes in to Ibrahimović and Mata. In the second half the record signing got even better. A flurry of bursts forward from deep caused the Southampton midfield to crumble. With twice as many dribbles as anyone else on the pitch (8), the most shots (4) and the most interceptions (5), Pogba looked as worth £89 million as anyone could.

 

Mata: 7

Another effective performance from Mourinho’s new pal. Drifted inside to allow Valencia room to impress and combined well with Ibrahimović and Pogba in the final third. Put in a good shift defensively too, seen tracking back and winning a very important tackle in the 57th minute to quell Southampton’s threat.

 

Rooney: 6

Put in a brilliant cross for Zlatan to nod home before the break, but was back to his usual waning self. Lost possession continuously in the first half and passed the ball poorly. The United skipper has lost a yard of pace and some technical ability with that, most notably his close control. The conundrum with Rooney is that, although he has looked past his peak for a fair few years now, the Englishman can still pull brilliance out of the bag, as seen with his assist to open the scoring. It seems only a matter of time until Mkhitaryan dislodges the United and England captain’s starting place.

 

Martial: 6

Another poor night for Martial’s quality. Failed to get involved enough in the first half, despite stinging the hands of Forster with a long ranged effort. Did not complete any take-ons and missed two very presentable opportunities in the second half to seal the victory. With Rashford sitting on the bench, Mourinho may think about giving the young Englishman an opportunity on the left flank if Martial’s performances do not improve in the near future.

 

Ibrahimović: 8

The Swede’s United career has taken off in the same fashion that his PSG career landed. Four goals in three competitive matches is not a bad return for a 34-year-old. Showed great aerial presence for the first goal and a cool head to tuck away the second from the penalty spot. Gave away a sloppy pass in a dangerous area in the second half but defended diligently when he was called upon in the dying moments of the game.

 

Subs

Mkhitaryan: 7

Looked impressive with quick passing and a few eye-catching dribbles. The Armenian winger’s special awareness is impressive, seemly subconsciously finding himself in very useful spots, something that his skipper could learn a few things from. Will be integrated into the starting eleven in the coming weeks.

 

Herrera: N/A

Whilst only on the pitch for ten minutes, Herrera still managed to add dynamism to United’s midfield and two tackles when they were needed most. Looks like a much more complete midfielder under Mourinho’s tutelage.

 

Smalling: N/A

Was not on the pitch long enough to make an impact. Will see more game time now that he has returned from injury.

NUS officially joins rent strike campaign

As of the 18th of June 2016, The National Union of Students (NUS) has officially joined the renewed campaign for affordable university accommodation.

In pledging to mobilise students and facilitate rent strikes, as well as providing legal support and advice on how to liaise with universities, the NUS is, according to vice president Shelly Asquith, “demanding an end to the exploitative profits from university accommodation”.

NUS research published earlier in the week shows that 60 per cent of graduates who lived with the £9,000 tuition fees also have consumer debts averaging £2,600 on top of their student debts. A three-year undergraduate degree could leave students borrowing as much as £53,000, meaning they are likely to start and live their professional lives in debt and financial insecurity.

Moreover, in light of recent cuts to maintenance grants by the government, the NUS claims that replacement loans will only exacerbate debt levels. In response, they are calling for fair rent structures within which 25 per cent of the beds are priced at a maximum of 50 per cent of available student finance, ensuring access for every student who wishes to study and not only those most financially privileged.

At the NUS conference on the 18th of June a representative, when asked about the potential risks of striking, such as potential evictions and threats that will inevitably arise from such action, stated that “we don’t have the luxury of taking a position of neutrality” regarding rent strikes . It seems that the NUS are aware that rent striking should not be glorified but they view it as necessary action when the most vulnerable students are being exploited.

The impact and legacy of student rent strikes are best manifested in those that occurred at UCL throughout this year when over 1000 students withheld payments in a rent strike lasting five months. The university made repeated threats to students; in cases such as Rebecca Pinnington’s, the 21-year-old president of UCL’s official student media outlet Pi Media, the university was met with allegations of bullying and intimidation in March 2016 after threats to expel her were made after she published an article containing details of the university’s classified report.

However, in June this year, UCL Cut The Rent, the campaign driving the rent strikes, declared victory with a £1 million concession and promises of bursaries and rent freezes, in spite of those repeated threats. This success, as well as newfound NUS support, has given the renewed campaign for nationwide strikes significant momentum.

This September, activists from UCL Cut the Rent and the Radical Housing Network will host a Rentstrike weekend training event which will run workshops centred around the advancement of university rentstrikes.

Elizabeth Gibson meets Maggie Stiefvater

With the hugely successful fantasy series such as the Raven Cycle and Shiver trilogy under her belt, Maggie Stiefvater is one of the powerhouses of Young Adult literature. I meet her in Manchester prior to her event in the Central Library. She is charismatic, funny and a fascinating person to speak to.

She’s here fresh from Young Adult Literature Convent (YALC), an event that forms part of the London Comic Con. When asked about her experience at the event, Stiefvater she says her expectations had been of “people in costumes hanging from chandeliers. But YALC’s really nice because the bookish folks get to have a floor of their own which means if you want to dip into that craziness you can always go downstairs for it but otherwise you can just be up listening to authors, so that was really fun”.

Stiefvater is in the country promoting her latest book, The Raven King. While she’s unable to comment much on this volume, with it being the last in the series, she says the Raven Cycle as a whole “is about magic and physics and fast cars under the Virginia Mountains, which is where I live.

I started writing it when I was nineteen. I’d just read Susan Cooper’s The Dark is Rising series which is all about Welsh mythology seeping up through the sidewalks in 1970s Wales and I always thought, I want to write a series like that. I tried writing it but I wasn’t very good at writing so I quickly got mired down in all of the characters. I restarted it after I’d written many other books, and so it’s nice to finally have got to the end of the series and landed where I intended to land.”

Myths and legends, particularly Old English and Manx, frequent Stiefvater’s novels. Stiefvater describes what it is about them she finds attractive, explaining that “when I was a kid my parents were always very much into Celtic music and so I played the highland bagpipes competitively in college and I had a Celtic band. It’s impossible to wade into that musical world without also wading into the mythology because the lyrics of all of the old traditional songs are also tied up in the history.

The mythology is really just fan fiction of the history and so by the time you learn all of the music and find out what it means so you can perform it properly, you’ve already gone halfway to learning the mythology. I also studied Scottish and British history when I was in college, so I just love playing in this playground.”

I then ask her about her triple life as a writer, musician and artist. Does she feel these skills come from the same mental place? “I once did a TED talk put on by NASA. They had a whole bunch of professionals, scientists and intellectuals who were speaking. We were all shuttled back at the end of the day and I was sitting next to someone who had given a talk and he said, “So here’s the deal, you play music and you’re a writer and you give TED talks and you do art, so what do you think your talent is?”

“And I could tell it was a wizard question, a riddle, and so I thought really hard and then I answered, cunningly I thought, “Well I’m sure it’s that they’re all storytelling.” And he said, “Wrong! It’s changing people’s moods.” And I thought, fine, you’ve out-wizarded me. And so all of those are tied together because when I start to create a painting or write a song or when I start a book the first thing I think about is how I want people to feel when they look at it and then I move from there. So, they are different parts of the brain doing them, but they come from the same place.”

We turn to her beginnings as a writer and who inspired her and she explains that “I just started writing novels when I was six or seven and I had over thirty of them finished and half finished by the time I hit college. But I remember, I was eleven or twelve and I lost the whole summer to reading books by Diana Wynne Jones. I remember in particular that I read Dogsbody which was my favourite one – it’s a very strange one of hers, but for some reason it pushed all of my buttons. I got to the end of it and I turned it over and I read it again and I read it eleven times through before I could read anything else. And the last time I read it I saw the cover differently and when I opened it up there was that page saying “Books also by Diana Wynne Jones” and just like that it struck me, if she’d written all of those books, this must be her job, this is a thing that you could actually do as a job and that was the job I wanted.”

I ask her views on the Young Adult phenomenon, the way the genre is really taking off and gaining new respect and she suggests that “historically people have always been really shitty about what teens like to consume. It’s only looking like it’s getting more of a reputation now because now 55 per cent of the buyers of Young Adult novels are adults.

She suggests however that “it’s really still just the same old, same old because if it’s teens that are saying it, they’re not listening to them”. Stiefvater questions whether “she should get up there and fight for respect for Young Adults” but also explains that “part of me feels that’s sort of the teen experience, that you’re always taken for granted and have to learn to scoff your way past that and read it anyway. It’s a good thing to learn, that you don’t need to look to anybody else for any validation of what you’re reading. But there’s always been a lot of intelligent Young Adults out there, it’s just that the outside world squints at it differently some times to others.”

Stiefvater has a strong social media presence across various platforms. I question her on hat the pros and cons of this? “I love social media, I wouldn’t be on it if I didn’t. A lot of people say I have to be on it, but I got into it before I ever got signed with an agent or was an author because when I was a full-time portrait artist, if you wanted to connect with people you had to be online. And so I was already there and it just dovetailed really nicely and it feels like a good way to be current, to meet people without having to always leave my home all the time. And also it’s fun to tell stories in a different medium, and that’s what being on Twitter is, it’s telling the story of Maggie Stiefvater.

She accepted that there’s a downside however and spoke about how “it’s difficult to have someone shout something really terrible at you and you click on their bio and they’re some twelve-year-old and it’s not like you can shout at a twelve year old for saying something really horrible to you on the Internet.  But for me, the joys of it outweigh the negatives; there are too many great aspects to being connected.”

Stiefvater is also the co-author, with Jackson Pearce, of a middle grade series about a girl named Pip Bartlett. I question whether she feels under more pressure writing for this age group than for young adults? “I do, actually. I feel like when you write for teens, it’s called young adult for a reason: they’re adults, they get to make their own decisions about how they feel about what you’ve written. I definitely feel a responsibility for kid readers; they’re still developing what it means to be a hero, and what it means to be good and bad, and so I’m very mindful of what I’m pouring into their heads.

“That said, it’s fun! But it’s harder than writing for young adults. I remember I wrote my first middle grade and the first edit said, “Did your middle grade protagonist just attack that unarmed man with a sword and hack off his arm?” I was like, “Oh, should I give the other guy a sword?” “No, the hacking is the problem!” “Oh, right, sure, okay!” So I slip up. It’s difficult to age it down. I try.”

We then turn to what’s next for Stiefvater with the Raven Cycle finished.  “I am working on something completely secret right now. All I can say that it’s young adult, it’s a stand-alone, it has magic in it, it takes place in Colorado, and everything else is secret. With the Raven Cycle, what was so difficult was that every book was so anticipated – which is great, it’s great to write a book and know that people want to read it.

“So, it’s really nice to be working on something now that no-one can send me a message about, nobody knows what’s it’s going to be, and so I can write it just for me in a vacuum. I haven’t done that since The Scorpio Races and then the first book in the Raven Cycle so it’s fun, it’s nice. I think it’ll be out next year, maybe, if I turn it in on time.”

Finally I ask what advice she would give to young writers, in both the writing itself and navigating the publishing industry. “I always like to hand down the advice that I got when I was young, which was, you should write the book you always wish you could find on the shelf but you can’t, and you should write the book that only you can write.

Turning to the business side of the art Stiefvater explains that “it made me feel better to know the business is inherently fair. If you write a book that most people want to read, you will get published; you won’t be a secret hidden jewel somewhere in someone’s drawer. So if you’re getting rejections back it means that you’re not there yet. And maybe I’m strange but to me that’s comforting, to know that I’m making strides and I won’t get out there until I’ve actually done something worth reading. To me it’s helpful to know that publishers want the same thing as you. They’re made up of readers. All they want is to read a book that they love while sitting in the bathtub drinking champagne or whatever it is that publishers do!”

Sage advice indeed. Maggie Stiefvater has achieved so much, so young and is viewed as a sort of young adult queen by many readers. Let’s see what her reign brings next.

For more info check out Elizabeth’s blog and Maggie’s website.

Season Preview: Manchester United

The moment Wayne Rooney hoisted up the FA Cup signifying the close of the 2015/16 competitive season, Manchester United seemingly morphed from a meek, disjointed and directionless club, to the most powerful club in the country and arguably the world (note the way United financially barged Real Madrid out of the Pogba saga).

The instillation of Mourinho, and his work ethic, seem to have rubbed off on the rest of the club, and especially Ed Woodward. Long ago are the days when the Chief Executive was used by Fabregas and Ramos for new contracts before being sent scrabbling for a deadline-day Fellaini deal. Woodward has successfully brought in four high quality players in positions which needed refurbishment, all with as little fuss as possible.

While pre-season did not exactly go smoothly, with the escapades in Asia proving no more than commercially beneficial rather than preparing the squad for the long season ahead, United rounded off their summer with an unspectacular but respectable 2-1 win in the Community Shield against Leicester City.

 

The Squad:

In an attacking sense, United could not be in a much better position for the start of the 2016/17 season. The acquisitions of Ibrahimović, Mkhitaryan and Pogba add real quality to the squad, just see WhoScored.com. Pogba from Serie A, Mkhitaryan from the Bundesliga and Ibrahimović from Ligue 1 were all rated as the highest performing players in their respective leagues last season.

Assuming that Mourinho plays his preferred 4-2-3-1 formation, which he has all the way through pre-season, the attacking quartet has been quite dramatically improved. With Martial the most likely player from last season to keep his spot, it is probable that the other three positions will be filled by the summer signings, barring injury or suspension. That being said, there is plenty of room for rotation. Memphis, Rooney, Rashford, Lingard, Mata, Young and even Herrera could be considered for roles in the attacking positions.
There is a problem with Rooney, however. Mourinho clearly stated in his first press conference that the United and England skipper will not play as a 6 or 8, i.e. in one of the more defensive midfield roles, limiting him to either the number 10 spot behind the striker or as an out-and-out number 9. Over the last five years, United fans have watched on as Rooney has moved back from the striker position to a more supporting role. It is no coincidence that Rooney’s worst seasons have been the most recent ones. In the attacking midfield role, Rooney two biggest weaknesses, his positional indiscipline and first touch, become much more prominent. With the option of playing Mkhitaryan, Mata, Pogba or even Herrera at 10 there seems little reason to play Rooney there other than for “special/captain’s privileges” as Van Gaal referred to during his tenure.
That leaves the lone striker position. Having scored 38 goals in 31 appearances for PSG last season, Ibrahimović should be the first name on the team sheet. Because of Rashford’s meteoric rise to stardom as well as his sky-high potential, it is likely that the youthful Mancunian lies at second choice behind Zlatan, leaving Rooney picking up the pieces as third choice. It is unlikely that Rooney, as captain of the club and his national side, would stand for that kind of isolation from the first team meaning that there are two probably outcomes. Rooney either is rotated by Mourinho, playing both behind the striker and as the striker, or he grows jaded from too much time on the subs bench and packs up and leaves in January. The former is much more likely from Mourinho’s consistent respect and praise of the United skipper over the years. It is a conundrum however, and an interesting narrative to watch play out.

The central midfield position also offers up problems. While many may think that Pogba can play in a deep-lying role, his inability to enforce himself on a game from that position was highlighted during the European Championships with France. If the best is wanted out of Pogba, United should give him a free role in an attacking sense, as Juventus have done for the past three seasons. Therefore, the contenders for the deep-lying roles should be Carrick, Schneiderlin, Herrera and Fellaini.

The Belgian, while starting for Mourinho in the Community Shield, is the weakest of the four in terms of breaking up play and initiating attacks. The most likely combination is a Herrera/Carrick partnership, similar to Jose’s central midfield pairing of Fabregas and Matić in his last successful domestic campaign with Chelsea. Schneiderlin will rotate with the ageing Carrick while Mourinho attempts to drum out Van Gaal’s negative teachings on the Frenchman.

Schweinsteiger has, unfortunately, been ruled out of Mourinho’s plans for the season. It is never nice to see a former great squeezed out of the door, but football is a business and Mourinho has to consider the usefulness of Bastian to the squad and how expensive it would be to keep the former Germany captain on the bench.

In defence, things get slightly simpler. Bailly, from his performances in pre-season and the Community Shield, looks like a promising youngster. He outpaced and outmuscled Jamie Vardy all afternoon, which is no mean feat. The Ivorian has incredible endeavour which, because of his rawness, will earn him a few yellow cards over the season, as was previewed on Sunday.

Bailly is likely to partner Smalling when the Englishman returns to full fitness, with Blind and Fosu-Mensah as capable deputies. On the right, Valencia has enjoyed a very productive pre-season, picking up assists like it was the 2011/2012 season all over again. The Ecuadorian will compete with Darmian for a starting place. On the Left, Shaw has seemingly made a full recovery from his horrific leg break against PSV last season and was back to steam train speed against Leicester on Sunday. Cameron Borthwick-Jackson or Rojo will act as cover, with the former being touted for a loan move away from Old Trafford.

Jones appears to be stuck in limbo; neither progressing to the potential (professed by Sir Alex himself) due to injury, nor poor enough in ability to merely discard. According to Jamie Jackson of The Guardian, Jones has been informed by Jose that he is the first choice partner for Chris Smalling at the centre of defence. Only time will tell whether this is true or not, and if it is, whether it lasts.

In between the sticks, De Gea will not be having sleepless nights about whether or not he will start the next game. Romero is an adequate back-up goalkeeper, but no more than that.

 

The Campaign Ahead:

Because of the strength and depth of the squad, Manchester United will be fully expected to make a challenge for the title this season. The investments and big names speak for themselves. Leicester City’s incredible triumph last season highlighted two things: firstly, the English League really is the most unpredictable out there and, secondly, the ‘big clubs’ really need to step it up a gear. Even Arsenal, who finished second, were majorly disappointed with their campaign and rightly so; they missed out on plenty of opportunities to capitalise on other clubs’ mistakes.

The two Manchester clubs are favourites for the title, not only because of their strong investments over the summer, but also the change of guard in the hot seat. Guardiola and Mourinho and widely regarded as the two best managers in the world and the quickly approaching derby will be the first of many battles.
Having failed to qualify for the Champions League under Van Gaal, Mourinho will not hold back on attempting to win the Europa League. While trips to Eastern European countries are not ideal in a packed domestic calendar, United have enough quality players to keep up performances in both competitions. Mourinho also has history with the Europa League, winning the cup competition back in 2003 during his first season at Porto. The reward of being granted a place in the Champions League through victory in the competition may add extra incentive if the domestic campaign is as unpredictable as the last.

Mourinho also has a good record with the domestic cup competitions, winning three League Cups and an FA Cup during his spells at Chelsea. The Portuguese will want to hit the ground running in his first season, and now that United fans have been given a taste of silverware in the FA Cup last season, the appetite will only increase with the newfound expectations built from the summer’s successful business.

 

Fringe Preview: Novel Experiments In Living

A writer, a love interest, and a critic scale the pages of their own play as they try to discover what’s scripted and what’s not. Lose the plot with this fast-paced, mind-bending new comedy.

After Novel Experiments in Living’s success in Manchester the production is preparing to up sticks and move to Edinburgh’s Fringe festival.

Novel Experiments In Living follows some characters in a script, as they discover, to various extents, that they’re characters in a script. Canvasing the anxieties, pretentions and crippling introspection of generation Y, it asks “is it better to be handed a blank page or be trapped in a pre-assigned role? Is it possible to be original in a world saturated with ideas and influences? Is it cooler to actually like The Smiths or ironically like Abba?”

Through slick choreography scenes arrange, rearrange, and deconstruct themselves in a scattered world of typewriters, balled-up paper and plastic lobsters. Fast-paced, farcical and relentlessly funny, critics chase characters who’ve killed their authors, and love interests despair on discovering that they’re a pastiche of pop culture references.

“It’s a love story, it’s a social commentary, it’s a coming-of-age tale. (It’s pretentious, it’s confusing, it screams student theatre)”, says the promotional material. “It’s a play that writes itself. (It’s a play that critiques itself). Lose the plot with this mind bending new comedy. (Nah don’t bother, I hear Alistair McGowan’s at the fringe this year…)”

Written and directed by Rob Paterson, produced by Lily Ashton and starring Calum Pearce, Novel Experiments In Living has been described as a play “for a generation who feel defined by the culture they consume”, while Dr. David Butler, Senior Lecturer at the Martin Harris Centre for Music and Drama states that, “Novel Experiments… skilfully contrasts mature and sincere reflections upon being a young adult in the early 21st century with glorious silliness.”

If you saw Novel Experiments in Living in Manchester and enjoyed it as much as we did, why not support them? The production have a GoFundMe page which you can find here. But you don’t just have to wave goodbye to your generous donation: different amounts create different prizes.

Donating £10 will get you a special souvenir program in which you’ll be personally thanked. £25 will get you a professionally printed poster signed by the entire cast and crew. And if you’re incredibly generous, £50 will get Manchester Indie Band The Vanity Project, who supplied the soundtrack of the production, to write you a personalised song of thanks.

Be kind, dig deep and support Paterson and his team on their road to Fringe festivities.

How will this summer’s politics affect students?

To say British politics this summer has been a bit turbulent is like saying the Iraq war was possibly not the best idea, or that Pokémon Go is being played by a few people. Technically true, yes, but underselling it beyond recognition. The UK has voted to leave the European Union, the Labour Party has turned into There Will Be Blood and in the last few weeks most of our government has been thrown out and replaced. All of this will have huge implications for all sections of British society, but how will it affect students?

Firstly; Brexit. This has already had an impact on researchers, who are losing out on projects with EU countries. For instance, Sheffield Hallam’s vice chancellor, Chris Husbands, told Newsnight that on four of its twelve projects, EU partners have said they should no longer be involved, due to the lack of certainty in the UK’s future membership. For undergraduate students, however, little will change in the short-term – universities have stressed that everything will carry on as normal for the time being. Nancy Rothwell, the president and vice chancellor of the University of Manchester, in a statement shortly after the results were announced, stressed that all international students will be able to keep their current status throughout their entire studies and that EU grants and collaborations should remain the same until we have actually left the EU.

Once Brexit has been carried out though, the impact could be huge. As mentioned, funding will likely drop for research programmes – according to Full Fact, the EU provides around 15% of universities’ research budget, and so a lot of research may no longer be financially viable. In addition, tuition fees for EU students will increase from domestic to international. At the University of Manchester this will mean a rise from £9,000 a year to between £15,500 and £35,000, depending on the course. Over 27,000 EU students currently study in the UK, but the increase in fees makes it fair to assume that far less students from European countries will attend British universities in the future. This will cause a decrease in the diversity and internationalism that many UK universities have enjoyed and celebrated for decades. This will go both ways – EU exchange programmes such as Erasmus provide British students with the opportunity to study all over Europe for no extra cost beyond standard UK tuition fees. From 2008 to 2015 the number of UK students participating in Erasmus more than doubled. This massive increase will likely be put to a halt – although Norway also participates in the Erasmus scheme, it has to accept freedom of movement to do so, according to the group Universities UK. Given blocks on immigration were a huge part of the Brexit campaign, it is unlikely that the UK will do the same. Whilst there are alternative exchange programmes with many other nations across the world, these are more expensive and difficult, requiring visas and extra documentation and costs. As a last word on Brexit, it is worth noting that young people overwhelmingly voted to remain in the EU.  75 per cent of 18-24 year olds voted to remain rather than leave. This could mean growing divisions and disconnections between younger and older people. The resulting tensions and frustrations also could be damaging to wider society, where the young feel betrayed by the old, and vice-versa.

The second major political event of the summer has been the battle over the Labour leadership. Whilst this may not immediately seem to be connected to students, as Labour are currently in opposition, in practice this will have a huge impact on students for many years to come. Labour is currently at something of a crossroads – New Labour is largely seen as no longer working, and so the party needs a new way forward, to shape its ideals and ambitions for the next generation or so. The positions of the current two candidates therefore could be vital for students, should Labour return to government in the next two or three elections. Corbyn has long held a pledge to abolish tuition fees completely, whilst Smith is a more unknown quantity – he voted against increasing tuition fees to £9000 a year, but has not provided any specifics beyond that. He claims to be a socialist and to agree with Corbyn on most issues, so it is possible that he backs abolishing tuition fees, or at least cutting them or not raising them further. However, without definitive comment, it is impossible to know where he stands at present. We reached out for comment, but received no reply. The other, more immediate impact on students is the weakness of a divided Labour Party, which is in no fit state to provide serious opposition to the government. Without unity, the party cannot challenge government plans to raise tuition fees above £9,000 a year, or to increase restrictions on student visas. The Conservatives have a very slim majority, and so a focussed opposition could force them to back down on these platforms. Until the leadership battle ends in September, however, the Labour Party is still both in limbo in terms of policy, and unable to provide a strong opposition to May’s new government.

The final major change in UK politics has been the resignation of Cameron, the unopposed election of May and a very different government. This new leadership will likely affect students’ lives in many different ways, but at the moment there are just two direct points of impact. One of these is the planned increase of tuition fees in line with inflation. This means that from 2017 students could be paying up to £9,250, depending on the teaching quality of the university. This could even apply to students who have already begun university, depending on their institution’s student contract. The Chairman of the Sutton Trust, Sir Peter Lampl, told the Independent that this increase in tuition fees, combined with the abolition of maintenance grants, will deter poorer students in particular from applying. He also highlighted that upon finishing university, students face debts of over £50,000, yet will still have to start repaying once they earn £21,000 a year, and that this threshold will not increase with fees. The other main plan affecting students is a renewed push to limit student visas, in order to lower immigration. Despite it recently being revealed that May’s actions as Home Secretary led to over 48,000 students being wrongly deported, the Prime Minister still believes more can be done. Potential plans currently include more steps to ensure foreign students leave as soon as they finish their degree, banning universities from advertising courses as a way for foreign students to work in the UK, and banning foreign students from taking courses seen as weaker – so-called ‘Mickey Mouse’ subjects. The combined effect of both of these seems to be to use students in order to achieve other goals – cutting immigration and reducing government spending by letting unviersities raise the funds themselves. This is unsurprising – students are not traditionally Conservative voters, so the Tories can keep their traditional support base whilst also perhaps gaining embittered Labour voters who now back UKIP – the white working class men are the least likely to go to university (only 29% go on to any form of higher education after 16, according to the Sutton Trust), and the poorest areas of the UK supported Brexit the most.

So to sum up – what can we expect the long term effects of the summer to be on students? Basically two things – university will become more expensive, and we will have far less interaction with foreign universities and their students at all levels, from exchanges to research programmes. What the future impacts will be remains to be seen, but at the moment the Conservatives are largely following Brexit in terms of limiting international movement and diversity in UK universities. Whether tuition fees continue to rise will depend on whether Labour can rally around and attempt to block the Conservatives, or get into government themselves. However Labour’s own policies and future platforms will be decided for a long time to come by the outcome of this leadership election. The summer has been dramatic, and has dropped much of the UK into a period of uncertainty, universities and students included. At the moment it looks like things will get more difficult for all involved in higher education, however it is too early to know for certain.

Festival: Bilbao BBK Live

From the top of the hills above Bilbao you get a fantastic view of the city. It’s quite easy to see why it was decided to hold the festival BBK live here on Mount Cobetas and, given this year’s stellar lineup, why hordes of punters are flocking through the gates.

After reaching the festival using the free non-stop shuttle bus service, we swapped our tickets for wristbands without too much queuing and entered. Thursday started with CHVRCHES who performed a strong set of their trademark synth pop. Although not suited to an open stage in the late afternoon sun, it did serve as a good warm up for the more festival ready set of M83.

The more retro electropop group enjoyed a big break after their 2011 record Hurry up, We’re Dreaming. Their latest album Junk proves they clearly haven’t been resting on their laurels. The album is full of festival bangers which were well received by a live audience. The set culminated with ‘Go!’ Performed with french singer Mai Lin complete with over the top guitar solo had the crowd dancing like madmen.

Later that evening we headed over to the Basoa dance stage to catch Joe Goddard playing an eclectic selection of house music. Tucked away under a canopy of trees, with laser arrays passing through leaves above, the outdoor dance floor made for a fantastically psychedelic setting for the rest of the festivals strong line-up of DJs.

Photo: BBK Live

Back at the main stage we joined the crowd for Arcade Fire. Despite being one of the bands I was most anticipating, a lack of sound quality and perhaps a bit of time since their last live performance made this a rather anticlimactic show. The band played their huge collection of hits with precision and energy. However it just felt like some of the showmanship and grandeur that is associated with the band and their live performances was missing.

Nevertheless the night ended on a high with a stellar performance by Hot Chip. With a huge catalogue of festival-ready hits from seven albums, and a group of musicians with seemingly endless amounts of energy, it was inconceivable that they’d ever put on a poor performance.

Friday’s highlights consisted of Grimes, Pixies, and Slaves. Despite a 15-minute power cut during Grimes’ set all three put on amazing shows, Grimes in particular fulfilled and exceeded all my expectations taken from the Editors’ show review of her Manchester gig. Taking the traditional live pop show formula of choreographed backing dancers, costumes and wind machines and then twisting in her weird and wacky artpop. Claire Boucher takes you from listening to a live show to watching theatre. The sets abstract wonderfulness peaked with Grimes rapping in Russian in place of absent guest Aristophanes on ‘SCREAM’.

Slaves was also a fantastic surprise, despite having heard their recorded work I was not prepared for the passionate performance of their abrasive yet danceable pop-punk. Aided by a great crowd stuffed into the only indoor stage at the festival this was definitely one of the highlights of the festival.

 

Sunday brought the biggest day of music. Starting with Courtney Barnett, who despite having some great recorded material to work with, failed to grab the crowd’s attention. Despite usually working well. The Australians monotonous vocals made it difficult to enjoy her clever lyrics in the blazing sun.

We headed off a little early to the Heineken stage to catch Father John Misty. Josh Tillman’s cynical rock star alter ego put on a mesmerizing show. Watching Father John Misty play is a strange experience. His subtle ridicule of the self-obsessed rock star archetype has you wondering at the fans yelling along to the lyrics, desperate to get a photo of him. Then another of his well-crafted folk rock songs come on and you’re back with the fans, oblivious again. The show climaxed with an incredible performance of Tillman’s single ‘Bored in the USA’. His intense yet comedic delivery was everything the song wanted for in a live performance. Finishing with Misty in front of the crowd, filming himself on a mobile. We left the show bewildered and buzzing to see the rest of the evenings acts.

Sunday’s first headliner was Tame Impala, and the Australian psych-rock band were a lot of fun. The crowd lapped up their collection of hits from their last two albums and still danced along to tracks from their debut. With a crazy backdrop of acid-trip visuals and front man Kevin Parker performing barefoot on a carpet it was everything you’d expect from the consistently strong band.

Foals, the second headliner of the night, proved somewhat less fun. As a big Foals fan, I was looking forward to seeing them close the festival. However perhaps due to an exhausted and slightly unengaged crowd it was only at the the end of the set that the energy really picked up. This had an evident effect on the band, with the whole thing resulting in an underwhelming performance.

Sunday evening’s real gem was sandwiched between the two headliners. Jagwar Ma’s psychedelic hits blended into a dark abrasive dance music at the indoor stage. Starting with recognizable songs from their debut album Howlin. The set ended with the crowd dancing to something I guess you could dub rock-techno. It was an incredibly energetic show, perfectly suited to the crowd and location. The band’s next album is definitely one to keep an eye on.

Photo: BBK Live

All in all the festival more than lived up to expectations from the line-up. Despite a couple of weaker sets from some of the headliners it was some of the smaller acts who really stood out. The festivals location was undeniably fantastic and if future line-ups are as strong. We will definitely be coming back!

Live: Whitney

Gullivers Manchester, 15th June

8/10

At the time they announced this UK tour, Chicago-based Whitney only had a couple of singles (including the outstanding ‘No Woman’) to their name. They subsequently released their album Light Upon the Lake’ in June to rave reviews, which saw demand for this show far outstrip the limited capacity of Gullivers. Thankfully we submitted our press application early and managed to secure our places at this hotly anticipated show.

Support on the night came from Manchester based Aldous RH. We’ve seen him previously supporting (and outshining) DIIV at Gorilla and were itching to see him again. Having previously played in Connan Mockasin’s band it would be easy to draw parallels between the two. To a backing of squelchy funk infused rhythms, the pixie-like Aldous belted out high pitched vocals that at points verged on ridiculous, but all combined to produce a great sound. For his last track, the upcoming single ‘Sensuality’, Aldous managed to get the whole audience to sit on the floor mid-song while he recited a slightly perplexing monologue about life, before launching back into the song. With such a fantastic stage presence, he won’t be confined to such a small stage for long; see him if you get the chance!

By the time Whitney took the stage, the lack of ventilation meant that the packed out room was verging on sweltering. Thankfully the quality of the music distracted the otherwise fidgety crowd. The band has a drummer-frontman (Julien Ehrlich), which isn’t something you see every day. Although you couldn’t help but feel sorry for him as he wore a thick sweatshirt and drank a pint of red wine – no doubt a perfect combination for overheating.

Tunes from Light Upon the Lake sounded fantastic. Single ‘Golden Days’ came early in the setlist, but it was tracks like ‘Dave’s Song’ and ‘The Falls’ that stood out far beyond the singles. It would be unfair to call Whitney a one trick pony, for on tracks like ‘Red Moon’ and ‘Follow’ the band really brought out a mix of styles to the table, with their sound incorporating elements of jazz and reggae.

It was a pleasant surprise to see the band throw in some covers into what would otherwise have been quite a short setlist. Whitney added oomph to the Everly Brothers ‘So Sad (To Watch Good Love Go Bad)’, as well putting their own twist on Bob Dylan’s ‘Tonight, I’ll Be Staying Here With You’. It was cool to appreciate these tracks through the interpretation of another band, but equally demonstrated Whitney’s musical talent.

Of course, breakthrough single ‘No Woman’ saw the biggest roar of appreciation on the night. The smaller size of the venue meant that the trumpets were much more prominent than on recording. They added a brassy spine-tingling warmth similar to those on some Beirut tracks. Perhaps egged on by the appreciation of the crowd, they went on to play ‘Light on the Lake’ for an encore. Despite being the name of the album, they confessed they “don’t play it that often”. But with their live shows sounding this good, perhaps they should.